Low, turbid water poses a risk to spawning trout Anglers: please don't fish the Esopus Creek from the Shandaken Portal to the Asho...

Monday, October 17, 2016

Anglers asked not to fish Esopus between Shandaken Portal and the Ashokan Reservoir

Low, turbid water poses a risk to spawning trout

Anglers:
please don't fish the Esopus Creek from the Shandaken Portal to the
Ashokan Reservoir. (see attached map for area in question).

If you live near, or fish this section of the Esopus, you have no
doubt noticed how low the water level is and how brown and silt-laden
the water is.

Water from the Schoharie Reservoir feeds into the Esopus via the
Shandaken Portal. Drought has drastically reduced water levels in the
Schoharie Reservoir and last Friday, DEC decided to cut back on the
water entering the Esopus through the portal.

DEC Fisheries
staff are concerned that the muddy flow from the Portal would hurt the
stream ecosystem and threaten trout spawning which will soon be
underway.

As a result, water levels in the Esopus, which were already low, will
drop further. Fish in the Creek could be very vulnerable to anglers and
natural predators. Nonetheless, DEC staff believe that the trout will
be better off than if they try to spawn in mud-laden water.

DEC will continue to monitor conditions in the creek. We anticipate
that Emergency Regulations will be issued soon that will temporarily
prohibit fishing in the Esopus downstream of the portal to the Ashokan
Reservoir. We'll let you know when this happens.